Critical Point

Critical point theory is a mathematical framework that has been used to study the behavior of complex systems, including the brain. In neuroscience, critical point theory has been used to understand the dynamics of neural networks and to explain how information is processed and transmitted in the brain.

At its core, critical point theory is concerned with the behavior of systems as they approach critical points, which are points at which small changes in input can lead to significant changes in output. In the context of neural networks, this means that critical points are points at which the activity of the network changes dramatically in response to small changes in the input it receives. Researchers have found that critical points in neural networks are associated with several important functions, including perception, attention, and learning. For example, critical points may be involved in the process of selective attention, where the brain focuses on specific stimuli in the environment while ignoring others.

One of the key insights of critical point theory is that criticality in neural networks can be optimized to enhance information processing and transmission. This means that the brain may naturally operate close to critical points in order to maximize its ability to process and transmit information – that which we might call 'peak learning potential'.

In physics, critical phenomena is the collective name associated with the physics of critical points. Most of them stem from the divergence of the correlation length, but also the dynamics slows down. Critical phenomena include scaling relations among different quantities, power-law divergences of some quantities (such as the magnetic susceptibility in the ferromagnetic phase transition) described by critical exponents, universality, fractal behaviour, and ergodicity breaking. Critical phenomena take place in second order phase transitions, although not exclusively. wikipedia

Critical Brain Hypothesis

State of Criticality

Epistemic Patterning

Dancing at the Edge

Fractal Criticality

Dancing at the Edge